I think the 2.4 is sick. :(

[JamiesTSI]

What the motor has and things I know:

87 Galant motor.
180-185 compression across the board.
Radiator temps. run between 180-190
SCE Titan head gasket
L19 head studs. Torqued to 90 with moly.
I did a leak down test 1 and 2 where fine, 3 and 4 I get bubbles in the coolant. I used 70 PSI of air pressure. The bubbles where about every three to four seconds
The car runs very strong under boost.
Checked fluids, no mixing of oil or coolant.
Block and head where both clean.

I'm looking for any input before I pull the whole motor. Are the SCE gaskets reusable? Could the block/head be cracked? Anybody else running this block pushing coolant? I ran the same head last year on the 2.3 with no problems.

 

[delta448]

Head gaskets are not designed to be reusable. I'm guessing that is your problem. Although, it sounds as if it almost worked the second time and you only have a very small combustion pressure leak with the SCE. Still a new HG is in order.

How much coolant are you pushing when at operating temp? Are you filling and actually losing a lot of coolant through the overflow bottle? When the engine cools, does it suck the bottle completely dry?

 

[JamiesTSI]

Head gaskets are not designed to be reusable. I'm guessing that is your problem. Although, it sounds as if it almost worked the second time and you only have a very small combustion pressure leak with the SCE. Still a new HG is in order.

How much coolant are you pushing when at operating temp? Are you filling and actually losing a lot of coolant through the overflow bottle? When the engine cools, does it suck the bottle completely dry?

Head gasket is only a few weeks old. I only push coolant under boost. Yes, a fair amount of coolant is lost. No, the motor does not suck the coolant back in.

I am going to try a lower PSI on the leak down test to see when it makes bubbles in the cooling system.

 

[DoyoFCT]

Felpro MLS ftw... the SCE's seem to be luck of the draw..

 

[delta448]

Did you ever re-torque the head after a few heat cycles?

 

[JamiesTSI]

Did you ever re-torque the head after a few heat cycles?

Yes, per SCE instructions for the Titan HG they(SCE) want you to retorque after the engine comes up to operating temp. with no load on it.

 

[delta448]

Head gasket is only a few weeks old. I only push coolant under boost. Yes, a fair amount of coolant is lost. No, the motor does not suck the coolant back in.

So you're saying this is the first installation of the SCE HG? And the block and deck were resurfaced or at least checked for straightness before installation?

I am going to try a lower PSI on the leak down test to see when it makes bubbles in the cooling system.

I don't think this will help determine anything. You already know the HG is leaking, and combustion pressure is quite a bit more than 70psi.

 

[JamiesTSI]

Yes, HG is new, first time installed along with the L19s. Block and head where only cleaned with a razor knife and 600 grit sand paper. As for checking straightness, well lets say that step may have not been done. Please keep flames to a minimum.

 

[delta448]

More than likely there's just a little surface flaw on the deck near the coolant passages between 3&4. Maybe a very small indention due to more sanding in one spot or a spec of old gasket material that somehow got left behind. There's no doubt in my mind that you will need to pull the head to fix this problem. I recommend a thorough cleaning and then checking very carefully with a straightedge to find the trouble spots. The best way to solve the issue would've been machining the block deck, but I really doubt you'll want to pull the engine and disassemble it in order to do that now.

 

[Savage Talon]

I had nothing but problems with pushing coolant under boost with my SCE head gasket and my head was o-ringed. I went to a stock Mitsu Galant gasket and it solved my problems. With the 2.4 we are limited to either a mls gasket, stock Galant gasket, or the SCE gasket.

 

[JamiesTSI]

When I did the 2.3 last year I had the shop cut the block. When I did the 2.4 this year I left that item out. The cooling system is draining as I type.

 

[JamiesTSI]

I had nothing but problems with pushing coolant under boost with my SCE head gasket and my head was o-ringed. I went to a stock Mitsu Galant gasket and it solved my problems. With the 2.4 we are limited to either a mls gasket, stock Galant gasket, or the SCE gasket.

Did you ever do a leak down test? If so what where the results?

 

[Savage Talon]

No just a comp test, I knew what the problem was. No point in messing around with it.

 

[4SFED4]

The SCE Titans are not reusable. The SCE standard coppers are reusable with a fresh coat of Permatex Copper Coat. If you did not retorque after your initial warm-up that is most likely the source of your problem. I retorque after the initial warm up and the after the first couple of high boost pulls.

When pulling the head off avoid using power tools(whiz wheel, etc) to clean the gasket surface areas. I use lacquer thinner and a razor blade, then finish up cleaning the surfaces with brake cleaner. My method is more time consuming, but the power tools may leave you with an uneven surface or a pits. Metal head gaskets require very smooth and true surfaces to properly seal. If you damage one of the mating surfaces you will need to have it machined to properly seal again. Using a true bar and feeler gauge; I like to see no dips or pits deeper than two thousandths of an inch(.002").

Upon installation you want to start low and raise the torque in increments. I start at 25 ft/lbs and go in 20 ft/lb steps until reaching 85 ft/lbs using ARP moly lube. When retorquing, I break each fastener loose and retorque directly to 85 ft/lbs individually and follow through by the factory sequence.